Inside the Star

White Sox get Rios for nothing

According to Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, dumping Alex Rios' contract to Chicago is all about "financial flexibility and moving forward." What a pile of manure. This is about Rogers giving up on a team.

In the original Jays lineup at Yankee Stadium last night, Alex Rios was listed as the starting right fielder. By 6:30 p.m., the underachieving homegrown Rios was on his way to the White Sox on a simple August waiver claim, with GM J.P. Ricciardi getting nothing in return. Professionally, the GM seems to have become dead man walking.

Jays' ownership, represented for now by Ricciardi, unbelievably did not try or else were unable to get anything back. Just two years ago, they were dangling Rios as bait for future Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum from the Giants. They were happy to keep him, convincing fans he could blossom into a 30-30 (homers and steals) player.

Now, disappointed by his on-field play and off-field behaviour, the Jays seem satisfied with a savings of $62 million (all figures U.S.) over the next five years. They have given up on this year and next. What year are they building for now?

Is there any doubt Roy Halladay will be next to go with discussions beginning as soon as the season ends? This Rios-for-nothing result to the Chisox surely puts an end to any Halladay desire to remain in Toronto beyond – let's see, what time is it now?

With Scott Rolen, Rios and potentially Halladay leaving and with closer B.J. Ryan released, the Jays will save $68 million combined in payroll moving forward. Now, what to spend that money on? And can you trust Ricciardi to be the man to reinvest this money when they are all contracts he'd signed in the first place?

And what prime-time star player would ever sign as a free agent with an organization so messed up that in the space of 12 months they will have allowed A.J. Burnett to walk without making a sincere counter-offer, cut their closer with $15 million remaining, traded the best defensive third-baseman in baseball because he wants to play closer to home and, finally been forced to inevitably trade their best pitcher so they can afford to feed the albatross that is Vernon Wells' contract, another Ricciardi gaffe?

All of those generous deals were negotiated with eyes wide open. Ricciardi had convinced Rogers he could build a contender to battle the Yankees and Red Sox by spending more money. Last year J.P. spent $100 million and finished fourth. This year he's spending $80 million and will finish fourth. Ownership likely reasons they could finish fourth spending $60 million and maybe even with a different GM.

Ricciardi is feigning exactly the same disgust and disdain with bad contracts that he did eight years ago when he arrived and saw the bloated contracts his predecessor Gord Ash had left behind – Shawn Green, Carlos Delgado, Alex Gonzalez, Joey Hamilton and Billy Koch. The difference is that Ash was fired and Ricciardi somehow is still here.

The last 55 days of the season will be tough for Jays fans, but even tougher for the Jays' young starting pitchers.

Jays' ownership is in full retreat, clearing the decks of excess payroll in order for a GM to start rebuilding in the off-season. But which GM will it be?

The thought of a trade for Rios was not real. There was never any chance the Jays would receive anything from a team claiming Rios on waivers.

If another team had ever been interested in value-for-value, would they not have proposed something before the deadline? The Sox claimed Rios not to offer primo prospects, but to steal a talented player away from a team desperate for saving payroll. The Jays had no leverage.

According to Ricciardi, this Rios contract dumping is all about "financial flexibility and moving forward."

What a pile of manure. This is about Rogers giving up on a team and a GM and his eight-year-old blueprint for building a contender.

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